Alright, my first Invader Zim ff. Also, my fist published ff since I was 14! Comments, criticism, and tips welcome.

N0TE: I realize the Tallest have names, but I have always called them Red and Purple, so I did so in the story.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All credit goes to the brilliant Jhonen Vasquez.

"You honestly think we care what the hell you do?" Tallest Red narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, irritated. Tallest Purple stood beside him, quiet but looking also annoyed with the situation.

"My Tallest, I am trying my best for you," Zim replied, struggling to keep up his cocky attitude.

"We don't care," Tallest Purple chirped up. Red looked at him, then back at Zim and nodded.

"Right. Don't care. Now, go about your 'mission'," he made quotation motions with his fingers? and Purple chuckled.

"But, my Tallest," Zim frowned deeply and sat forward in his seat. "I am doing well here. I know I haven't done much recently, but—"

"Zim," Tallest Red rubbed at his face and sighed. "Look, you fucked up our last mission and you tried to fuck up Impending Doom 2. You are the most useless, pathetic excuse for an invader we have seen in awhile, and that is saying something, considering the worthless midgets we are working with now."

Zim stared at his screen, letting the harsh words sink in. He clenched his fist and growled, "Think what you wish, I am an invader and I shall overcome this filthy planet for you."

"Zim, we don't care about that planet. We were surprised it even was a planet to begin with."

The invader glanced at Tallest Purple, who was shaking his head slowly.

"But.. my Tallest, please. You are.. being irrational. Why are you doing this?"

Tallest Red started to reply, but Purple cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Zim," he said softly. "We will not be contacting you any further. You were merely a source of amusement for us, but now we have more important matters to tend to. We do not have time for you."

Zim looked at the both of them, and knew they were awaiting a reply. He took a breath and said, "Fine. Fuck you all, I hope you burn." He slammed his fist down on the end key and turned the entire monitor off. It was bad enough, the insults, but to be half-ass sympathized with was too much. He turned his seat to face his lab and rose, stepping past GIR.

"Master? What did they want?" GIR asked, turning to watch Zim stride towards the elevator.

"Nothing of interest to us. We will not be seeing them anymore." Zim stepped into the elevator and instructed the computer to take him upstairs. GIR watched him go, then turned on the TV and began watching cartoons.

"They do not know what they have lost in my services," Zim grumbled, crossing his arms behind his back. He tried to think that they simply did not see all that he could be, but he knew inside that their words were true. While he was intelligent, and quite capable, he was not an invader.

He stepped out into the living room and looked around. His base was quite impressive, for the few years that he had been here. He had programmed his security system, computer, and wired the entire base himself. He wasn't too sure about his own taste in decorations, but it was quite passable for a human home.

The invader walked absently over to the closet and looked inside at the robot parents. They needed serious work. He shouldn't have left their invention up to GIR. Zim mentally added that to the list of things to be done. Striding over to the window, he looked out to see dark clouds collecting overhead. It was about to rain, nay, it was going to storm. He watched as a small drop of water landed on the window. Just one, as if taunting him. He sighed, knowing he would be forced to stay indoors until the rain let up.

Turning back to face his home, he felt a sudden crushing depression as it all hit him. He was useless, a defect. His leaders wanted him not, and they were really all he lived for. He cursed himself for how long he had remained in his blissful ignorance. He was hated, how could he have ignored that? They hated him. He hated him, too. He loathed his very being; for all the stupidity, all the wasted time, all the ignorance.. He finally understood. He thought of GIR, and understood him, as well. The poor, devoted little defect. Little piece of scrap metal. Bits of buttons and marbles. At least he had been created for a purpose, even if it had been to give to a defect alien. GIR had far more purpose than he. For a moment, Zim hated GIR. But then he thought of the robot and frowned at himself for thinking such things. GIR was his faithful, loving servant. Useless or not, he, in some way, loved the robot. They were each other's only friend.

Zim glanced over his shoulder as rain began to softly patter against the window. He looked down a moment, then moved into the kitchen where a ladder led to the attic. Ascending this, he pushed open the door and crawled into the upper-most part of his house. Not much was up there, except for some insulation and boxes of random things GIR had collected. He opened one and looked in at the assortment of paper bags, cups, paperclips, and other rubbish GIR had found interesting enough to bring home and store. Shaking his head with a small smile, Zim closed the box and then kicked shut the door. He stepped over boxes and beams carefully until he reached a small window. The rain was still at a soft patter, but was starting to pick up. Wind drove it against the glass from time to time. Zim considered it for several long moments, then unlatched the window and stepped out onto the roof. He gritted his teeth as the sky water burned his skin, but closed the window behind him and climbed to the highest point on the roof. The burning was so intense he nearly retreated, but this was what he wanted. He loved it, the pain made him feel real again. It consumed his mind and he tilted his face upward, closing his crimson eyes and letting it destroy him.

Dib, walking past his computer monitor, happened to pause and look at Zim's house. He had hidden a small camera in the bushes outside Zim's home, and kept an eye on what he did often. He leaned forward a little, looking at the alien on his roof in the rain.

"What the hell is he doing?" Dib tilted his head and as he watched Zim reached his arms up towards the sky. The wind blew his clothes, nearly unbalancing him, but still he remained where he was. Dib shook his head and started to walk away, but he stopped when the invader dropped his arms and fell to his knees. Picking up his coat and umbrella, Dib turned the computer off and hurried over to Zim's house.

He ran past the gnomes and security fields and rang the doorbell. There was a patter sound and GIR, in his doggie disguise, opened the door.

"What?" he squeaked.

"Let me in," Dib commanded, pushing his way inside and marching to the kitchen.

"0kay!" GIR closed the door and flopped back onto the couch, having earlier moved upstairs to watch cartoons.

Dib found the ladder and climbed up into the attic. He wasted no time in going out onto the roof. When he found him, Zim lay curled up on the small bit of flat roofing. Dib stepped over to him carefully, wary of what he might be doing.

"Zim?"

The alien was shivering, his skin burnt as if someone had takes a match to him. The rain had eaten through in places like acid, causing him to bleed and exposing bone. Strange enough, Dib thought, his blood was just as crimson as any human's. He had figured it would be something like green or yellow.

"Zim, what are you doing?" He stepped up to the alien's crumpled form, holding his umbrella over him to shield him from the rain. Zim opened his eyes just slightly and tilted them up at the human. Dib noticed that he didn't even have his disguise on.

"Get up," Dib growled. Zim closed his eyes again and didn't move. He stayed still even when Dib kicked at him a couple times.

"Fine, burn." Dib turned to walk away, taking his rain-shield with him. Zim winced and moaned softly when the water began pelting him once again. Dib glanced back and debated a moment. He sighed and returned to the alien. Not understanding the alien's intentions but unable to leave another living creature in such pain, he folded and tucked the umbrella under one arm and lifted Zim's limp body. He wasn't very heavy, not even compared to the human's small form.

Dib carried him back into the attic and laid him on an even stack of boxes.

"Zim?" He leaned the umbrella against a support beam and shifted the alien onto his back. He seemed unconscious, and it was no wonder, judging from the degree of his injuries. Dib glanced around, wondering what to do. He considered leaving him here, maybe telling the robot. But something about the invader drew at his merciful side. He took off his jacket and began carefully drying off Zim. He tried to soak the water from his clothing, but his jacket was not very good for such a thing. Dib laid his coat over him, then went downstairs to look for something better.

He returned a short time later with some shirts and a couch pillow he had found. Lifting the alien's head, he placed the pillow under it and then began drying him off better. The burns were severe, but he didn't think it would take long to heal. Dib had also brought some bandaging he found in a cupboard. He wasn't sure how to clean the wounds without water, so he simply began wrapping the worst of them with the soft cloth bandages.

When he was finished, he took a seat on a box to wait, taking a book from his pocket to read. He loved pocket novels, such as the ones Stephen King's work was typically made into. At the moment, he was working through Dreamcatcher. He settled back to read and wait.

It was hours before Zim began to awaken. He opened his eyes a bit, and immediately turned to his side and was sick on the floor next to the boxes. Dib glanced up in disgust, grateful the alien had turned not to the side he was sitting on. Zim groaned and drew in a breath, but coughed after he did so. Some of the water had gotten into his mouth and burned his throat, and the cold air hurt to breathe. He shifted to his back once again and closed his eyes, completely unaware of Dib's presence. He was not awake enough to think about what had happened.

Dib looked back down at his book, not really sure what to do. He supposed he should have seized the alien while he had the chance, but it was too late to run to his house and gather any captive equipment. So, he kept reading, wondering what the outcome of this could be.

Zim laid where he was for a time, not thinking, only feeling the horrendous pain that racked his body. When his mind began to start again, the question came of, what happened? He opened his eyes and blinked at the wooden rafters of his attic. He shifted, could feel something warm laid over him, and looked to the right of him. Dib looked back at him. Zim instantly narrowed his eyes and growled, "Earth boy!" He coughed, then attempted to sit up.

"Alien," Dib replied curtly.

"What.. what are you doing here? What's going on? Tell me!" Zim sat up, feeling his mending skin tear, but he ignored it. His PAK glowed dark red on his back, the orbs swirling as it restarted and attempted to heal him at too fast a pace. Zim growled, feeling it draining energy from him (for it ran off energy from his own body) and reached behind him to press a button on the bottom. The PAK dimmed to a less-angry color and he sighed, feeling its effect on him.

"You were on the roof. In the rain," Dib replied. "I didn't think it was good for your health."

"You.. you lie!" Zim spat, shifting to a sitting position on the edge of the boxes. He was weak, but he wouldn't let that get in his way.

"Zim, you should probably chill." Dib closed his book and stood. Suddenly, a claw arm shot from Zim's PAK and seized him by the throat. It slammed him against the support beam and Zim rose to his feet.

"Don't tell me what to do, Earth child!" Zim glared up at him as Dib kicked his feet, clutching at the arm to keep from choking.

"Let me down!" The human cried, struggling. Zim ignored him, lost in thought as he tried to re-orientate himself with consciousness. He glanced around the attic, taking note of the bloody shirts and coat that he had knocked to the floor when he rose. As he was observing, something sharp bit into his arm. He instinctively flung the human to the floor and, his spider-legs emerging from the PAK to assist him, crawled defensively atop the boxes he had lain on.

Dib sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Zim glanced at his arm and saw a small throwing-knife embedded in his flesh. He pulled it free and threw it at his enemy. Dib's eyes widened and he rolled out of the way of it.

"Fuck! Zim, stop it!" Dib cursed, getting to his feet and glaring at the alien.

"Get away from me!" Zim cried. He shifted on the boxes tensely, the mechanical legs shaking. Dib picked up his knife and tucked it away in a row of others on his belt. Zim started to shout at him again, but his PAK began flashing red again. The alien felt light-headed, and before he could react, he collapsed as his strength ebbed away quickly from using the PAK. Dib watched with satisfaction as he crumpled atop the boxes limply. He stepped closer, multiple insults dancing on the tip of his tongue. He stopped when he saw that the invader was barely breathing. Sighing, Dib shifted him back onto the boxes comfortably and tucked his coat around him, as he was shivering.

The human returned downstairs and shook GIR, who was sleeping on the couch.

"GIR, wake up."

The little robot sat up and rubbed at his eyes sleepily.

"Your master needs help. Can you contact his superiors and ask them to come get him?" Dib watched the robot look at him blankly.

He then replied, "Master needs help?"

Dib nodded impatiently. "Yes, now go call his leaders or whatever."

GIR thought back on what Zim had told him earlier and frowned. "But, Master said we won't be able to see them anymore."

"What?"

"They told him he was.. a useless, pathetic excuse for… amusement? And they didn't have time for him."

Dib frowned. He glanced at the attic door, then back at GIR. "They told him that?"

GIR nodded. "Yeah. And other stuff too. And Master got real mad." He yawned.

Dib rose from where he had crouched next to GIR and rubbed the back of his head. Pacing back into the kitchen, he paused by the ladder.

GIR watched him, then went back to sleep in an instant.

"So that's why.." Dib shook his head. Zim really was a failure. Even his own leaders hated him. Dib wanted to smile, but he didn't feel the contempt he thought he would. Instead, he just felt sorry for the stupid alien.

He ascended to the attic again.